No choice but the High Road? The Revival of Workforce Planning in Public Services

Abstract

A number of workforce challenges will coincide in the near future: the ageing population; the pending exit of many retirees; the tightening labour market; increasing skills shortages; and changes to the public services required by an ageing populace. In this climate, employers are required to actively compete and be seen as an employer of choice. Workforce planning has gained increasing attention as the means to manage changes in the supply and demand for labour and to implement the strategies to attract and retain a high quality workforce and manage changes in supply and demand. This paper provides a brief outline of the workforce planning process, and examines its revitalisation in selected Australian public services. It seems that, at least in the public service environment of skilled employment, employers will have little choice but to take the high road in employment conditions and strategies.